For first the word Ecclesia Church is deriued from a verbe which signifies to call and not to predestinate frō whence S. Paul confirming the vse of this etymology inscribes his first to the Corinthians To the Saints called And in the epistle to the Ephes. he saith One bodie and one Spirit as you are called in one hope of your vocatiō And in the epist. to the Coloss. Lett the peace of Christ rule in your harts by which you are called in one-selfe bodie And secondly the Church is a Societie and there is this difference betweene a simple multitude and a societie that the societie adds to the partes of the multitude a condition and a certaine caracter as it were in vertue whereof they may cōmunicate together Now predestination as it is simple predestination puts nothing into the persons of the predestinate and is not made in them but in God only and by consequent doth not make them actually partes of the Church Our predestination saith S. AVGVST is not made in vs but in God the three other things are made in vs vocation iustification and glorification For that that is alleadged out of saint Paul that God knowes those that are his and hath marked them with his signet must be vnderstood that he hath marked the predestinate in himselfe that is to saie in his eternall determination and not in them as an Architect who designes in his spirit certaine stones that he will imploy in his building markes thē not by this mentall designation in them but in himselfe and makes thē not by this simple determinatiō actuall partes of his building I meane to be briefe that the vniō that cōstitutes men in the Church is in thē now the vnion that the predestinate haue in God as they are simplie predestinate is not in thē but in God alone And so it is not the vnion of predestination but that of vocatiō that cōstitutes men in the Church Thirdly S. Paul teacheth vs that the Church is the bodie of Christ and that by analogie to an organicall body God saith he constituted him head ouer all the Church which is his bodie And againe I accomplish that which wātes of the passions of Christ in my flesh for his bodie which is the Church Now it is of the essence of an organicall bodie as it is organicall to be composed of diuers offices members and parts If all the members saith S. Paul were one member where should the bodie be And by this reason the schoolemen proue that the heauens are not animated or liuing bodies because they are not organicall bodies and they proue they are not organicall bodies because they are not made vp of heterogeneall and different partes in cōposition and cōplexiō And therefore it is of the essence of the Church to haue distinction of members organs and offices is the Church doth not arise from the hidden and eternall predestinatiō for then the not predestinate could not be ministers and pastors of the Church but from externall and tēporall vocation And by consequent it is in the externall visible and temporall vocation and not in predestination which is internall to God hiddē and eternall that the being and essentiall forme of the Church consists Fowrthly the same Saint Paul saith that God hath tempered the honor of the members that there might be no schisme in the body Now the predestinate are not capable of schisme as they are predestinat but as they are called so it is not predestination but vocation that frames the bodie of the Church Fiftly he affirmes the Church to be our mother the superior Ierusalem saith he that is 〈◊〉 saie Ierusalē taken not accordinge to the lowlynes of the legall 〈◊〉 but according to the height of the Euangelicall sense is free which is our mother And he addes that it is of her that 〈◊〉 writes Reioyce thou barren woman that bringst not forth children Now the Church doth not engēder vs by predestination for God alone is the author of predestination and not the Church but by vocation and consequently it is vocation and not predestination that cōstitutes the Church in the state of a Church mother of the faithfull Moreouer the knowledge of being Children to the mother is before the knowledge of being Children to the father by the interposition of the mothers authoritie saith saint AVG wee are perswaded of the true Father For that that Aristotle writes That in certaine partes of the vpper 〈◊〉 where women were common they discerned the children by the resēblance they had to theire fathers was good for those people where that similitude had place but we in whose nature the image of God is soe defaced by the spott of originall sinne as we can noe more be knowne to be his children by vertue of naturall similitude only there is noe other meanes for vs to pretend to this quality but that we are regenerated by him in our spirituall mother which is the Church his only spouse And for this cause the Ancientes are soe carefull to saie that he shall not haue God for his Father that denies the Church for his mother and that if any be out of the Church he shall be excluded out of the mumber of the children and to exhort the Christians to doe like the Xanthians in taking the Surname of theire mother that is to say the title of Catholicke We receiue the holy Ghost saith Saint AVGVSTINE if we loe the Church if we be knitt in one bodie by charitie if we reioyce in the Catholicke name and faith Now the certaintie of being Children to the Church cannot serue vs for a meanes and path way to come to the perswasion of being the children of God if the definition of the Church consist in the hidden and inuisible secret of predestination For by this definitiō contrarywise we must be assured to be Children of God and comprehended in the Rolle of the predestinate before we can be assured that we are the Children of the Church So the definition of the Church ought to consist not in the hidden and inuisiblie condition of predestination but in the externall and visible condicion of vocation Also we see that our Lord who was the God-father of this Societie and gaue it the name of the Church in that sense that she ought to beare it hath neuer vsed that name neither he nor his Apostles but to designe a visible Societie constituted by externall and temporall vocation For when he saith Vpon this rocke I will builde my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against her And I will giue thee the keyes of the the kingdome of heauen this word in the future tense I will build shewes he speakes of a Church constituted not by prestination which was established from all eternitie but by externall and temporall vocation And the word keyes which signifies the authority of the ministery confirmes it
in as high fame As was the first inuentour of the same Nor can your worke bee any whit disgrac't By those who think it done with too much 〈◊〉 For had it beene in Michaell Angells power To perfect his great iudgment in one hower Hee who for that should valew it the lesse His owne weake iudgment would therein expresse And though wee in a common Prouerb fay That Rome was not built all vp in one day Yet could wee see a Citty great as Rome In all her 〈◊〉 in one minute come To such perfection wee might more expresse Our wonders and not make the glory lesse So I conclude with modest truth and dare All their free Censures who can but compare And whosoere shall try may spend his Age Ere in your whole work hee shall mend one Page A TABLE OF THE TITLES AND SVMMARIES OF THE CHAPTERS CONTAYNED IN THESE FOWER FIRST BOOKES OF THE REPLIE TO THE MOST EXCELLENT KING OF GREAT BRITAINE THE FIRST BOOKE CHAP. I. OF the vse of the word Cathòlicke fol. 13. II. Of the conditions of the Catholicke Church 17 III. Of the proceeding of the fathers for the preseruation of the vnitie of the Church 21 IV. Of the necessitie of communicating with the Catholicke Church 23 V. Of the markes of the Church 25 VI From what places of the voyce of the Shepheard the markes of the Church ought to be taken 32 VII Of the examples which we haue from the practise of the Apostles 35 VIII Of the definition of the Church and in what vnion it consists 36 IX Of the vnion of the predestinate and by way of adiunction of the visibilitie or inuisibilitie of the Church 39 X. Of the vnitie of eternall faith 48 XI Of other inuisible vnions 51 XII Of the knowledge that the Predestinate haue of their predestination 52 XIII Of the inequalitie of these two phrases to communicate with the Catholick Church and to communicate with some member of the Church departing from the rule of faith 55 XIV How to vnderstand the words of S. Gregory NazianZene there is a sacred warre 57 XV. Of the pretended precepts to goe forth from the visible communion of the Church 58 XVI Of the consequence of the places alledged by the Fathers for the authoritie of the Catholick Church 68 XUII. Of the distinction of the heretickes and schismatickes 69 XVIII Of the agreement of the auncient Catholicke Church with the moderne 70 XIX Of the conformitie or inconformitie of the sence wherein the word Catholick hath been common to the auncient Catholick Church and to the moderne 74 XX Of the comparison of the Church with the citie built vpon a mountaine 76 XXI Of the conformitie or inconformitie of the Donatists and Protestants in the question of the Church 77 XXII Of the extent of the ancient Catholick Church and the moderne 78 78 XXIII Of the communion that the Bishops of the East had by letters with those of the west 79 XXIV Of these words of the constitution of S. Clement the vniuersall Episcopate is committed to Bishops 80 XXV Of the comparison of the Pope with other Bishops 81 XXVI Of formed letters 113 XXVII Of pretended excommunications attempted against the Pope 116 THE SECOND BOOKE CHAP. I. OF Councells 125 II. Of the effect of Councells for the visibilitie of the Church 127 III. Of the comparison of the Pope with the other Patriarkes 128 IV. Of the difficulties of Scripture concerning the time of S. Peters 〈◊〉 at Antioch and at Rome 137 V. Of the Canon of the Councell of Nicea touching the gouernment of the Patriarches 147 VI. Of the addition of the word Churches suburbicarie made by Ruffinus in the Latine translation of the Councell of Nicea 161 VII Of the claime of the Bishops of Constantinople 178 VIII Of the order of sitting in the Councell of Nicea 204 IX Of the order of the sittings in the first Councell of Ephesus 217 X. Of the order of the sittings in the second Councell of Ephesus 219 XI Of the order of sittings in the Councell of Calcedon 220 XII Of the order of the sittings of the fifth Councell of Constantinople 222 XIII Of the order of sitting in the sixt Councell of Carthage 229 XIV Of the order of the sittings in the Councell of Aquilea 231 XV. Of the calling of Councells 232 THE THIRD BOOKE CHAP. I. OF Appeales 244 II. Of the opposition of sainct Ireneus to Pope Uictor 249 III. Of the opposition of S. Cyprian 251 IV. Of the commission of the Emperor Constantine the great for the iudgment of Cecilianus Archbishop of Carthage 264 V. Of the decree of the Mileuitan Councell concerning the beyond-sea Appeales 273 VI. Of the order and distinction of the Councell of Carthage 281 VII Of the African Councell 309 VIII Whether the Latine edition of the African Canons be more faithfull then the Greeke rapsodie 315 IX Of the difficultie touching the Epistles that are at the end of the African Councell 326 X. Of the question of Appeales treated off in the sixt Councell of Carthage 329 XI Of the Councell of Sardica 348 THE FOVRTH BOOKE CHAP. I. THE Estate of the Easterne Church 376 II. What the deuision of the Empire hath wrought to the diuision of the Church 378 III. Of the interpretation of those words Thou art Peter and vppon this Rock I will build my Church 379 IV. Of the indiuisibilitie of the Church 398 U. Of the effect that diuision brings to the Church 399 VI. Of the pretended corruption of the Church 400 VII Of the exclusiō of hereticks frō the bodie of the Catholick Church 402 VIII Of the qualitie wherein the Catholicke Church attributes to herself the name of whole 410 IX Of the sence where in the Roman Church is called Catholick 411 X. Of the causes wherefore the Roman Church hath cutt off the rest from her communion 413 XI Of the sence wherein the Hereticks belong not to the Catholick Church ibid. XII Of the proceeding of other sects 414 XIII Of the perswasion that other sects pretend to haue of the truth of their Church by scriptures ibid. XIV Of the sence wherein Hereticks haue disputed the word Catholicke 415 XV. Of the cases wherein the communion in vow with the Catholick Church may be imputed as actuall 417 XVI Of the equiuocation of termes diminutiues imployed for negatiues 419 XVII Of the authoritie of the worke iutituled imperfect 422 XVIII Of the vnderstanding of these words of sainct Augustine To seeke the Church in the words of Christ. 423 XIX Of the vnderstanding of the words of sainct Chrisostome in the thirtie third Homelie vpon the Acts. 427 XX. Of the rules to iudge admitted by sainct Chrysostome and sainct Augustine 429 XXI Of the application of the Thesis of this obseruation to his Hipothesis 430 XXII Of the personall succession of the Bishops 431 XXIII Of the succession of doctrine 434 XXIV Of the holding of a Councell 436 XXV Of the reduction of the disputation to
as it hath pleased God whollie to accept may be hastned by the prayers and sacrifices of the Church and necessarie with necessitie of precept and to exercise christian charitie and pietie both to the Church that offers them and to the ministers and Pastors by whom she offers them The prayer of the Saintes they haue holden as necessarie to the bodie of the Church and to the ministers by whō they are made with necessitie of precept to exercise the commerce betweene the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant and to particular persons out of the offices of the Church and in their priuate deuotions not neeessary with necessitie of act but only profitable that they may the more easilie obtaine pardon for their sinnes by the concourse of their prayers who are alreadie in the per fect and assured possession of the grace of God but necessary to them and all others with nessitie of approbation that is to saie they are obliged not to contradict them and not to condemne the custome and doctrine of the Church in that article and not to separate themselues from her vpon this occasion vnder paine of falling into Anathema and to be holden for heretickes All which things I will not now stand to proue least I make a Booke of a letter but I doe oblige myselfe to iustifie them when soeuer you shall desire it and to make it appeare both by the vnanimous consent of the Fathers that haue flourished in the time of the first fowre councel's and by the formes which remaine to vs in their writings of the ancient Church Seruice that all the Catholicke Church of their times hath vninersallie and vniformely beleeued holden and practised them throughout all the regions and prouinces of the earth I oblige myself I saie to make it appeare to you that she hath holden these fower thinges in the same sence and in the same forme and for the same end as our Lyturgies are and not as obseruations that then sprung vp but as things that the same Fathers testified to haue bene beleeued and practised from all antiquitie and to be deriued to them by an vninterrupted continuance from the tradition or approbation of the Apostles Soe as they cannot renounce the Communion of our Church vnder pretence of anie of these fowre points without renoūcing the Communion of the ancient catholick Church and consequently the inheritance of saluation and that by authors and testimonies all able to abide the touch as you know I am curious to make vse of noe other and with cleare and ingenuous answeres to all obiections collected out of the Fathers of the same ages or of ages before them A thing that will be the more easie for me because the proofes that wee will avouch out of the Fathers are proofes which containe in expresse termes the affirmatiue of what wee saie whereas our aduersaries cannot finde one only passage which containes in expresse terme the negatiue but only in termes from whence they pretend to inferr it by consequence and which at a iust tribunall would not merit so much as to be heard For who knowes not that it is too great an iniustice to alleadge consequences from passages and euen those euill interpreted and misvnderstood and in whose illation there is alwaies some paralogisme hidd against the expresse wordes and the liuely and actuall practise of the same fathers from whom they are collected and that may be good to take the Fathers for Aduersaries and to accuse them for want of Sence or memorie but not to take them for Iudges and to submitt themselues to the obseruation of what they haue beleeued and practised To this I will also adde whensoeuer you shall desire it the present Conformitie of all the other Patriarchall Churches in these fowre cases with the Roman and of all those which haue remained euen to this daie vnder their iurisdiction to witt those that are vnder the Patriarchall iurisdiction of the Patriarck of Constantinople as the Grecians Russians Muscouites and Asians of Asia-minor separate from vs neere eight hundred yeares Of those that are vnde the Greeke Patriarch of Antioch as the Syrians Mesopotamians and others yet more Easterne nations for those that obey the Syrian Patriarch as the Maronites perseuer in the Communion of the Roman Church of those that relye vpon the Egiptian Patriarch of Alexandria as the Egiptians whom they call Cophtites and the Ethiopians which haue bene diuided both from vs and from the greekes more then eleuen hundred yeares euen from the time of one of the fowre first Councells to witt of the Councell of Chalcedon For all these hold these fower pointes yea with more iealousie if it be possible then the latine Churches and particularlie the article of the Sacrament where of they doe not only beleeue transubstantiation which the greekes at this daie call in the very self same sence and phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but also exercise the adoration with externall gesture more full of humilitie then ours A manifest proof that these fowre pointes were vniformely holden and obserued by the ancient Cahtholicke Church since all the partes whereinto the ancient Catholicke Church is dismēbred doe retaine them vniformly to this daie notwithstanding soe manie distances separations and diuisions through all the regions of the Earth These are in generall the causes that haue moued me to vse that exception in my letter that you obiect to me in yours whereof if the Excellent King of great Brittaine had as well leasure to heare the particularities as he hath capacitie to comprehend them I assure myselfe he would not thinke it strange that I should desire in him the title of Catholique but he would desire it himsefe and put himsefe in state to obtaine it and to cause it to be obtained by those that are depriued of it that is to saie he would add yet to is other Crownes that of making himsefe a mediator of the peace of the Church which would be to him a more triumphant glorie then that of all the Alexanders and of all the Caesars and which would gaine to his Isle noe lesse an honor in hauing bredd him thē to haue bredd great Constantine the first deliuerer and pacifier of the christian Church I praie god that he will one daie Crowne all the other graces wherewith he hath indowed him with that and heare to this effect the prayers of his late Queene Mother whose teares like those of S. Augustins Mother doe not onlie intercede for him in heauen but her blood also And likewise keepe you Sr. in his safe and holie protection From Paris 15. Iulij 1611. AN ADMONITION TO THE READER This letter to Mons. Casaubon occasiond the whole discourse ensuing For the letter being shewed to his most excellent maiesty our Souuerain Lord king Iames of glorious memory it pleased him not only to read it but to take paines to answer it as he thought most conuenient To which answer of his maiesty the Cardinall replieth
that where of God saith by the mouth of Esay Thou shalt iudge euerie tongue that shall resist thee in iudgement And by his owne The gates of Hell thall not preuaile against her And againe Let him that heares not the Church be vnto thee as a heathen or a publica And by that of S. PAVL God hath placed in the Church Apostles Prophets Pastors and Doctors c. that we may noe longer 〈◊〉 little Children waueringe with euerie winde of doctrine And againe The Church is the Pillar and foundation of trutb doth not RVFFINVS write that Saint Basile and Saint GREGORY Nazianzene tooke the interpretacion of the Scriptures not from theire owne sense but from the tradition of the Fathers And doth not Saint AVGVSTINE crie out within the wombe of the Church is the dwellinge of truth And againe All the fulnesse of authoritie and all the light of reason for reparation of human kinde consistes in the only healthfull name of Christ and in his only Church And doth not VINCENTIVS Lirinensis say because all vnderstand not the holie Scripture by reason of the depth thereof in one sense But one interprets it in one fashion an other in an other so that it seemes there may be as many seuer all opinions drawne out of it as there are seuer all men for Nouatiā expounds it one waie Photinus another waie Sabellius an other Donatus an other Arrius Eunomius Macedonius an other Apollinaris Priscillianus an other Iouinian Pelagius Caelestius and finally Nestorius an other for these causes it is verie necessarie to auoid the perill as so manie great Labyrinths of so diuers errors that the line of the propheticall and apostolicall interpretation should be drawne according to the rule of the Ecclesiasticall and Catholique sense And háue not the ministers of Geneua themselues noted this in the margent of theire last Bibles The doctrine of Faith requires a domesticall and particular instruction namely in those that are ordained to deliuer it into the Church least they should take it in theire owne particular sense vnder colour of the Scripture And this is it that was anciently called TRADITION in the Church Now if the certainty of the interpretation of the Church ought to be také according to the exposition of the very Geneua Bibles not from the sense of euery particular man but from the traditiō of the Church how can it be that the truth of the vnder standinge of the Scripture should be the only certaine and infallible marke to discerne and know the Church But against these proofes the aduersaries of the Church propound obiections which we had best cōfute before we proceede to an other article The first obiection is that Saint AVSTINE in his writinge against the Manichees after he hath made a longe list of the markes of the Church addes this Among you where no such thing is found as holdes and tyes me there soundes only a promisse of the truth which if it be soe manifestly demonstrated as none can call it in question ought to be preferred before all those things whereby I am retained in the Catholicke Church And from hence they conclude that S. AVGVSTINE held not the other markes for necessary and infallible but onelie for probable and coniecturall since he offered to depart from them if they could demonstrate to him vndoubtedly that the truth was of the other side To this I make two answeres one that the truth whereof Saint AVGVSTINE speakes makes nothing for theire purpose that alleage it For Saint AVGVSTINE speaketh not there of the truth demonstrated by scripture which is that whereof the Protestants vaunt but of the truth demonstrated by the light of naturalle reason which was that that the Manichees promised as it appeares by what he said three lines belowe I would not beleeue the Ghospell if the authoritie of the Catholicke Church did not moue me to it And a little after And therefore if thou must yeeld me a reason set aside the Ghospell if thou wilt tye thy-self to the Ghospell I will tye myself to those by whom I haue beleued in the Ghospell And againe The authoritie of the Catholiks being destroyed I could not beleeue the Ghospell because it is by them that I haue beleeued it And in an other place That which remaines for you is to saie that you will produce areason soe certaine and inuincible as the truth thereof being manifested by it selfe it shall haue noe neede of the authoritie of anie witnes nor of the veritie vertue you must reade of anie miracle The other answer is that Saint AVGVSTINE did not propound this in the forme of a possible condition for contrarywise he disputes of deliberate purpose against the Manichees that the naturall light of reason could not be the waie to come to the knowlege of the truth of saluation but in the forme of an impossible condition and which consequentlie diminisheth nothing from the efficacie of the markes of the Church as it appeares by what he addes immediatelie after But if it be only promised and not exhibited none shall separate me from this Faith which by so manie and so great bondes so calls he the externall and sensible markes of the Church bindes my Spirit to the Christian Religion The second obiection that the aduersaries of the Church oppose is that the externall and sensible marks that the Fathers assigne to the Church as antiquitie perpetuitie eminencie and succession belong not to the Church only for as much as manie other things may claime antiquitie as the Sunne the Sea the mountaines and manie other succession as the Springs the brookes the riuers and manie other vniuersalitie as the aire the earth and the other Elements and euen amougst Religions that of the pagans hath heeretofore had eminencie and vniuersalitie and that of the Iewes hath still antiquitie and perpetuitie Certainlie a childish and ridiculous obiection for first the marks that God hath giuen to his Church haue not bene imposed vpon her to distinguish her frō all kindes of things but to distinguish her only from those things that are contained though equiuocally vnder the same next kinde and may be supposed and taken for Churches that is to saie from other Christian societies to witt from hereticall and Schismaticall Sects which challenge and pretend by false markes the title of the Church no more then the markes that Golodmithes giuen to golde that it will not euaporate in the fire and that it will resist the coupelle and the water of separatiō are not giue it to discerne it from all kinde of bodies for there are other bodies to which these conditions arc common as glasse and diamondes but to discerne it from false gold that is from metalls made and sophisticated that may be supposed and made to passe for golde And this alsoe Saint AVGVSTINE esteemes the Church would insinuate in the Canticle where after she hath demaunded of her
the Scriptures in that they were with me we both celebrated the martyrs feastes in that they were with me we both frequented the solemnity of Easter in that they were with me but they were not with me in all things in schisme they were deuided from me in heresie they were deuided from me in manie things with me and in few deuided from me but because of these few thinges wherein they were deuided from me the manie things wherein they were with me profited them nothing And so it is vnprofitable to those societies whereof his Maiestie speaketh to obtaine the name of Churches that they be vnited in most pointes necessary for saluation if they be not vnited in all and particularly in the knowledge and acknowledgement of the true Catholicke Church and consequently not supposing her to be visible The fowrth battaile is that the vniuersall distinction of things necessarie or not necessarie to saluation cannot be assuredly made by the iudgement of euery particular person but it dependes of the iudgement of the Church For there is noe Sect but belieues that those thinges which they hold are only necessary to saluation and that all which others hold ouer and aboue are either pernicious or superfluous Pelagius and Celestius saith Saint AVG. desiring fraudulentlie to auoid the hatefull name of heresies affirme that the question of originall sinne may be disputed without danger of saith And Saint AVGVSTINE contrarywise cryes out that it belongs to the foundation of faith We may said he indure a disputant which 〈◊〉 in other questions not yet diligentlie examined not yet established by the whole authoritie of the Church theire errors may be borne with but it must not passe soe farr as to attempt to shake the foundation of the Church And Luther speakinge of the controuersies of the Reall presence vnder both kindes and of the orall manducation of the bodie of Christ in the Eucharist Zuinglius and Oecolampadius said he alleadge that the question betweene them and vs is a light matter and a little difference not worthie that by occasion thereof Christian charitie should be broken But LVTHER contrarywise cryes out Eternallie cursed be this concord and this charitie because it doth not only miserablie rend the Church but after the diuells fashion mockes her And againe I take to witnesse God and man that I agree not with the Sacramentaries that is with the Zuinglians and Caluinists nor euer did agree with them nor by the helpe of God 〈◊〉 will agree with them and that I desire my handes may be cleane from the bloud of all those whose soules by this poyson they haue turned from Christ and slaine And a little after We will auoid them we will resist and condemne them to the last breath as Idolators corrupters of Gods word blasphemers and seducers So that before we can be assured of entire vnitie in things necessarie to saluation we must heare the iudgement of the Church and consequently suppose her to be visible The fifth battaile is that it is not euough for the constitution of a Church that the persons where of it consistes should be vnited among themselues in matters necessarie to saluation if they be not also deuided from the externall communion of all other societies which holde things repugnant to saluation For it sufficeth that we be vnited with anie Congregation which belieueth anie one point repugnant to Saluation although we be well perswaded in all the rest nay and euen in that alsoe to be excluded from the participation of the Church for whosoeuer communicates in matter of Religion with anie Societie is answerable for all the pointes vnder the obligation whereof he receiueth men to his communion From whence it ariseth that a multitude of men of diuers externall communions such as his Maiestie hereafter propounds as a number of men of the Roman Communion a number of men of the Greeke communion and a number of men of the Ethiopian Communion cannot constitute a common Church for as much as though they are vnited in the beliefe of most things necessarie to saluation neuerthelesse there are things repugnant to saluation wherein some of them are vnited by the bond of theire externall Communions with the body of theire Sects which externall vnion though the internall went not with it is sufficient to depriue them from the participation of the Church The sixth battaile is that the vnitie of faith which enters into the essentiall definition of the Church is not simply the vnitie of internall faith but the vnitie of externall faith For the vnitie of faith which concurrs to the formall constitution of the Church is that which serues for a foundation to the commerce of Ecclesiasticall Charitie that is to saie by meanes whereof the members of the mysticall bodie of Christ may acknowledge and embrace one an other as brothers and members of one and the same bodie Now this is the vnitie of exteruall and professed faith and not that of hidden and internall which serues for nothing neither for 〈◊〉 nor for saluation if it be not made manifest and externall For our Lord cryes out Hee that will confesse me before men I will confesse him before God my Father And saint PAVL We make confession with our mouthes to saluation And saint AGVST We cannot be saued vnlesse labouring also for the saluation of others we professe with our mouthes the same faith which we be are in our hartēs And againe Peraduenture said he some one may saie there are other sheepe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which I am not acquainted with but God hath care of them But he is too absurd in human sense that can imagine such thinges And finally the seuenth battaile is that the vnitie of faith euen externall and professed 〈◊〉 not for the constitution of the Church if the vnitie of the visible and Sacramentall Communion with the originall body of the Church and the vniuersall societie of the true pastors be not added to it You are with vs 〈◊〉 Saint AVGVSTINE to the Donatists in baptisme in 〈◊〉 Creede in the other Sacraments of our Lord but in the spirit of vnitie in the bond of peace and finally in the Catholicke Church you are not with vs. And Saint IEROM There is this difference betweene schisme and heresie that heresie holdes a false doctrine and schisme for Episcopall dissention equallie separates men from the Church Of other inuisible vnions CHAP. XI The continuance of the Kinges answere THey are vnited by the coniunction of spirits and by the offices of true Charitie and aboue all by that of mutuall prayers They are finally ioyned by the communion of one selfesame hope and by the expectation of one promised inheritance THE REPLIE NEITHER can there be a true Communion of Spirits where the visible and sacramentall Communiō of bodies is excluded that is to 〈◊〉 where the parties doe noe admitt one an other to the Communion and participation os the
CHAP. XIX The continuance of the Kinges answere IN how differing sense the Church is now called Catholicke from what it was then THE REPLIE I haue drawne out this clause from betweene the two that precede it because I would frame an answere by itselfe for as much as I beleiued the intention of the excellent King was as it is of other protestantes to saie that the Church beares the name of Catholicke now in an other sense then she bare it in S. AVST tyme because then she possessed all nations and now she possesses them not To this then I answere that S. AVG. neuer pretended that the Catholicke Church in his tyme did absolutely possesse all nations but onely by 〈◊〉 that is to say by applicatiō of the name of all to the greater part and in comparison of other Christian sectes and societies in regarde of which the Catholicke Church was soe large as it was called for eminencie the Church of all the nations Contrarywise where the Donatistes sett this errour on soote that the Church hadceased and was perished the principall reason that S. AVGVST opposed to them was that she was not yet spread ouer all the natiōs and that she must last without interruptiō from the first preaching in Ierusalem till the Ghospell had bene preached throughout the earth and then should be the end of the world Soe as it were to giue the lye to all the promises and prophesies of God to suppose she were perished since there were yet manie nations to which she had not yet extended herselfe And therefore the Church bore the title of Catholicke then in noe other sense then she doth nowe For soe farr was she from being called Catholicke from the atiuall possession of all Nations that not onely heresies whose numbers were very great were excluded but there were likewise an infinite Company of pagan Nations to which she was not yet arriued There are saith Saint AVGVSTINE amongst vs that is in Africa innumerable barbarous nations to whom the Ghospell hath not yet been preached Which was soe confessed amongst the Catholickes and Donatistes as the Donatistes made vse of it against the Catholicke Church to question her Catholicke title If you pretend saith Petilian the Donatist that you holde the Catholick Church beholde you are not inpossession of all for you are past into a parte And Saint AVGVSTINE confuting the wordes of Cresconius Thou arguest vainely saith he against the euident truth that all the worlde communicates not with vs because there are yet manie barbarous nations which haue not 〈◊〉 iued in Christ. And againe how is the world saist thou full of your communion where there are soe manie heresies whereof there is noe one that communicates with you And againe reporting these wordes of Vincentius Thou saist that as for the partes of the earth that wherein the Christian faith is named is but a little portion in comparison of the world And the Catholickes on the other side made vse of it against the Donatistes to proue that the Church had neuer receiued interruption But that Church said the donatistes is noe more she is perished soe saie they said Saint AVG that are not in her ô impudent voice c. This abominable and detestable voice full of presūption and falshood which is vnder propt with noe truth illuminated with noe wisedome seasoned with noe salte vaine rash headie pernicious the spiritt of God hath foreseene it And a litle after this Ghospell shall be preached where In all the world to whom in testimome to all nations and what after and then the end shall come Seest thou not that there are still nations to whom the Ghospell hath not been preached c. and soe how is it that thou saist that the Church is alreadie perisht from all nations since it is therefore that the Ghospell is preached to witt that it might be in all nations The Church thē in S. AVS tyme was not called Catholicke for her actuall extent into all natiōs but she was called Catholicke for two other causes the one that as more aboundant and the other that as radicall originall Church she held the place of all in regarde of other Christian Societies For in all the diuisiōs which were made from the first beginning of the Christian name not onely she remayned soe full in regarde of euery sect that came out from her that she held the place of the whole and the seperated sect the place of a part but alsoe in the act of seperation she still remayned immoueable I meane to say that the change for which the seperation happened was made not in her but in the hereticall sect Soe as it was the hereticall sect that was seperated frō her and not she from the hereticall sect And by cōsequēce to her as perseuering in the same profession in the same Estate wherein the whole Church was before the seperatiō apertained the right to holde the place of the whole and to inherite the being and aduantages of the whole And to the other to be reduced into the cōdition of a parte and to be cutt of and 〈◊〉 from the appellation and 〈◊〉 of the whole noe more nor lesse then in the deuisiō of a tree that parte wherein the trunke the stocke and the roote remaine keepes the name of the whole and the parte which is cutt of the name of a branche and of a part seperated from the whole They vnderstād not saith S. AVST speakeing generally of heretickes that there is one certaine true holsome and as I may saie germinall radicall societie from whence they are seperated in an other place Whosoeuer is separated from the whole and defēds a part cut off from the masse or bodie it selfe lett him not vsurpe the name of Catholicke And againe The Catholicke Church fighting with all heresies may be opposed but she cannot be ouerthrowne All heresies are come forth from her as vnprofitable branches cutt off from theire vine but she remaines in her vine in her roote in her charitie and the gates of hell shall not conquer her And as OPTATVS Mileuit before him Wee must consider who staies in the roote with the whole worlde and who is gone forth For these causes thē and also that the Catholicke Church was soe eminent both for perpetuitie and extent aboue all others as it was easie to iudge that it was to her onely and to noe other that the promise had bene made that in her seede all nations should be blessed and that in her should be denounced the remission of sinnes through all nations beginninge from Ierusalem for these causes I say S. AVG. affirmed that to her onely belonged the title of Catholique Thou 〈◊〉 saith he against Crescomius the Donatist the rest of the nations that the Church hath not yet possessed and takest noe heede how manie she hath 〈◊〉 from whence she dailie spreades to finish the possession of the
was not Pope Siluester that sent him to the Emperor into the East to prouide for the trouble of Arrius whereof the Bishop of Alexandria had written to the same Siluester and to 〈◊〉 the Emperor to interpose his authoritie and that what remaines to vs from the 〈◊〉 of the Ecclesiasticall history more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the first 〈◊〉 of the Emperors to note their actions then those of the Popes to the end to strengthen the Church with the temporall authoritie of the Empire hath not past it ouer in 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who can 〈◊〉 vs that the same Eusebius with an 〈◊〉 malice as being an Arrian and for that cause an Enemie to the Roman Church hath not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well as he dissembled that Alexander 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the relation of the trouble of the Church of 〈◊〉 to Pope 〈◊〉 and an other relatiō 〈◊〉 the circular letters addressed to the 〈◊〉 Bishops of the East as it appeares from the number and the degrees of those that were excommunicated where of there is mention 〈◊〉 which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wee learne euidently 〈◊〉 Pope 〈◊〉 who writes to the Emperor Constantius Wee haue 〈◊〉 in our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Bishop 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Siluester of holy memory and 〈◊〉 from saint 〈◊〉 Patriarke of the same place of 〈◊〉 who 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pope CELESTINE The longe 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 me to communicate those things to your 〈◊〉 The Fathers of the third 〈◊〉 Councell of Constantinople which was the 〈◊〉 generall Councell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and which liued neere a thousand yeare agoe and had read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ecclesiasticall histories that the 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 robbed from vs and in whose cares there sounded yet the memory of the acts of the Councell of Nicea doe not 〈◊〉 throughly 〈◊〉 that not onely the Emperor Constantine but also Pope 〈◊〉 wrought for the 〈◊〉 of this Councell when they 〈◊〉 The most sacred 〈◊〉 and the famous 〈◊〉 called the great and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Councell at Nicea And doth not the analogie of the historie informe vs that the Pope before the celebration of the Coūcell of Nicea must 〈◊〉 haue holden a 〈◊〉 Councell of the westerne Church that is to 〈◊〉 a Councell compounded of the deputies from the particular 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉 Prouinces to send by delegates carrying the 〈◊〉 of that Councell the sence of all the westerne Church to the 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 as it was done when there was question of holding the 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 Otherwise how had the Councell of 〈◊〉 which was compounded but onely of the Easterne Prouinces and where there were but 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 Bishops of all the west bene originallie 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 I say originally and not by accession as that of 〈◊〉 if some one of them had not bene deputed to 〈◊〉 the voice of all the westerne Church And which of those Bishops 〈◊〉 it 〈◊〉 except Osius who onely had his 〈◊〉 with the Popes 〈◊〉 before the heads of all the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For if the authors of the 〈◊〉 all historie for the most part 〈◊〉 which remaine to vs haue spoken of noe Councell of the West preambulary to that of 〈◊〉 what 〈◊〉 is it 〈◊〉 that of the Councell of Capua that the Councell of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 generall Coucell and that saint AMBROSE describes as assembled from all the partes of the world and for the affaires of the East there is found noe author of the ancient Ecclesiasticall historie that speakes a word And if Eusebius aud those that haue followed him haue made noe memorie of the Councell of the West holden for the preparation of the Councell of Nicea what meruaile is it if they haue made noe mention of the deputation of the Bishop sent from the Pope and the Councell of the West to represent their person at the Councell of Nicea Wee finde indeede that Eusebius Bishop of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Italie and Lucifer Bishop of 〈◊〉 in Sardinia two Bishops of the Popes Patriarkship where 〈◊〉 into the East and that at the issue of their banishment one of them to wit Lucifer created in Syria 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 and assisted by one of his deacons at the Councell of Alexandria holden for the restitution of the Churches And the other to witt Eusebius assisted there in person but that they bare the qualitie of the Popes Legates when they were banisht into the East or since wee finde nothing in all the Grecian antiquitie And neuerthelesse saint IEROM describing the life of Lucifer saith Lucifer Bishop of Calaris sent Legat for the faith with Pancratius and Hyllarius Clerkes of the Roman Church by the Bishop Liberius to Constantius because he would not vnder the name of Athanasius condemne the Faith of Nicea was banisht into Palestina And describing that of Eusebius Eusebius saith hee made from a Lecturer in the Roman Church Bishop of Vercelles was for the confession of his faith 〈◊〉 by the Emperor Constantius to Scythopolis and from thence to Cappadocia And saint HILLARIE describing the Councell of Millan from whence they where both sent into the East by Constantius Eusebius Bishop of 〈◊〉 saith hee is there with the clerks of Rome and Lucifer Bishop of Sardinia And Liberius himself in an Epistle to the Emperor Constantius which remaines to vs in the workes of Lucifer I haue said hee sent to you my holie Brother and fellow-bishop Lucifer with Pancratius my fellow-Priest and Hillary Deacon And Nicetas a graue Greeke Author and who had seene manie Ecclesiasticall histories that tyme hath enuied to vs expounding these words of saint GREGORIE Nazianzene There were at Cesarea in Coppadocia Bishops of the west which drew all that were orthodoxall to them add's These Bishops were Lucifer and Eusebius who had bene sent from Rome And why then as all the ancient Greekes cōcealed the deputation of 〈◊〉 and Eusebius Bishops of Uercelles from the Pope to the Emperor Constantius so could not Eusebius and those that haue followed him conceale the deputation of Osius from the Pope be it to the Emperor Constantine or be it to the Church of Alexandria And if from this that Eusebius notes not that Osius whom in hate to Catholicke doctrine he vouchsafes not so much as to name in all the historie of the life of Constantine was sent by the Emperor into Egipt as the Popes legate or from this that hee doth not relate that Osius assisted at the Councell of Nicea as the Popes Legat 〈◊〉 doe ensue that it was not in the qualitie of the Popes legate that Osius presided at the Councell of Nicea must wee not conclude by the same meanes that he presided not there at all for Eusebius saith not that Osius presided at the Councell of Nicea he onely saith that he sate there with manie others From Spaine itselfe said hee there was one verie famous Bishop sett with manie others Two onely historians doe informe vs
Disciples And Optatus Mileuit In the Roman Chaire there is sett Peter the head of all the Apostles And againe Against the gates of hell we reade that Peter our Prince hath receaued the wholesome keyes And S. CYRILL of Alexandria Peter as the Prince and head of the rest first cryed out thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God Euen vntill then it was a thing so well knowne vnto antiquitie that sainct PETER was the visible head of the Church and of Christian religion as the verie Pagans and Porphirius amongst the rest as sainct HIEROME reportes it reproched it to Christians that S. Paul had bene so rashe as to reproue Peter the Prince of the Apostles and his master And they fained as saith sainct AVGVSTINE that the Oracles of their false Gods hauing bene inquired of concerning Christian Religion answered this blasphemie that Chrict was innocent of the imposture of the Christiās but that Peter who was a Magitian for the loue he bore to his Master had inuented Christian Religion And this may be said of the comparison betweene PETER and the other Apostles for I will not now treate of the other frequent markes of the preheminēce and authoritie of S. PETER which are in the Euangelicall and Apostolicke historie As that our Lord commaunded him to paie the tribute for himself and for him that he vndertooke the care of the replacing of an other Apostle in Iudas his steede all the Colledge of the Apostles suffring themselues to bend and to be lead by his words that he is nominated as for preheminence and ranked a part Peter and the Eleuen that they bore the sicke into the Apostles waie that Peters shadowe might passe ouer them that that he alone iudged Ananias and Saphira to death that to him alone is reuealed the introduction of the nations into the Church and other the like for as much as it is not my purpose to examine the other places of scripture but onely those that his maiestie hath alleadged and to examine those not by scripture but by the Fathers whose obiection me thinkes I haue sufficiētly satisfied And as for Origēs interpretatiō which extends this text to all Christians in generall and saith that whosoeuer confesseth that Christ is the Sonn of God is made a foundation of the Church it is an interpretation morallized from this passage to bring it into sence although strained and wrested whose fruite may be applied to all the hearers and not a serious and litterall interpretation as the same Origen that makes vse of it testifies when he expounds it expressly and literallie of the persō of Peter There remaines the third point which is that the Church is built vpon Christ now in this point we are all of accord with his Maiestie but yet wee graunt not that S. PETER leaues to be the visible and ministeriall Foundation of the Church for the Philosophers teach vs that thinges subordinate combat not one an other but imbrace presuppose one other therefore to saie that Christ is the foundation of the Church and to saie that S. PETER is the foundation of the Church are not repugnant propositions but vnanimous and compatible For wee doe not pretend that they are foundations of the Church after one and the same sort but we hold that Christ is the foundation of the Church by himself and by his owne authoritie and S. PETER only by commission no more then to saie with Moyses that God only was the guide of the people of Israell in their passage from Egipt to the land of Chanaan and to saie with S. STEVEN that Moyses guided the people in the Wildernesse This was he said he that was with the Church in the desert Are not things incompatible for god was the guide of the people of Israel by his proper vertue and Moyses by commission and lieuetenancie from God Likewise to saie that the Vice-Roy of Ireland is the foundation of the gouernment and policie of Ireland And to saie that the excellent Kinge of Great Brittaine is the foundation of the state and policie of the same Ireland are not things incompatible for the excellent King of Great Brittaine is so by his proper authoritie and the Vice-Roy is soe by commission lieuetenancie and representation Although notwithstanding that the literall intention of this passage Vpon this Rock I will build my Church is no way to designe by the word Rock the person of Christ but that only of Peter as it appeares by six euident reasons THE first that our lord hauing foretold to S. PETER that he would change his name not by the attribution of a simple Epithete as he did to the Sonns of Zebedee whom he called the Sonns of thunder but by the imposition of a name ordinarie and permanent in saying to him Thou shalt be called 〈◊〉 puts him noe where in possession of this promise nor explaines to him noe where the cause of the imposition of this name but in this passage Thou art Peter vpō this Rock I will build my Church Now this passage cānot explaine the sence of the word Peter if in the secōd part of the passage the word Rock be not taken in the same sence and for the same subiect for which it is taken in the first and by consequence this clause vpon this Rock I will build my Church cannot there be interpreted of the person of Christ but on the only person of S. PETER The second that our Lord meanes in this place to render an exchange for the words that S. PETER spake of him as may appeare by this preface And I tell thee which for this cause Beza hath translated into these words And I tell thee reciprocallie Now S. PETER in his propositiō had done two things the one to declare the appellatiue name of our Lord which is Christ the other to explaine the sence and energy of the same name of CHRIST in saying Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God And therefore the lawe of the Antithesis correspōdencie wills that not only our lord should declare the name that he had promised to giue him in saying to him Thou art Peter but also should explaine the sence energy of this name in saying to him and vpon this Rock I will build my Church Which could not be vnlesse by the word Rock in this second clause there were literally vnderstood the person of S. PETER and not that of CHRIST THE third that it had bene a thing extremely from the purpose to haue made mention of the name of Peter for the language that our Lord meant to speake to S. PETER if by this clause and vpon this Rock he had not intended to speake of the person of Peter For the word Rock hath no metaphoricall relation to the keyes but to the building The fourth that it had bene an inconstant grammaticall consequence and euil knitt to saie And I
alone and from belonging to her alone noe more then when in a common weale the factious part and which separated it-selfe from the state and reuoltes against the true preseruers of the Estate come to be deuided from that which remaines in the lawfull administration of the Estate this diuision hinders not the part which restes vnited with the Estate from preseruing the right and title of the vniuersallitie of the cōmon-wealth and those thinges which are done by it alone from being accounted to be done by the whole Bodie of the common-wealth Whose whole being is preserued in this part alone the other by the desertion thereof hauing lost all the part it had in the name and effect of the common-wealth Of the sence wherein the Roman Church is called Catholicke CHAP. IX The continuance of the Kinges answere TO attribute to themselues the title of Catholicke as proper to themselues alone THE REPLIE WHEN wee vse this traine of Epithetes the Catholicke Apostolicke Roman Church we intend not by the word Roman the particular Church of Rome but all the Churches which adhere and are ioyned in communion with the Roman Church euen as by the Iewish Church wee intended not the tribe of Iuda only but the lines of Leui and Beniamin and manie relikes of the lines which were ioyned therewith For S IOHN BAPTIST was of the tribe of Leuy and sainct PAVL of that of Beniamin Anna of the tribe of Aser and neuerthelesse they were all of the people of the Iewes and of the Iewish Church but they were called Iewes and Iewish people because of the adherence and communion that they had with the principall Tribe which was that of Iuda Soe all the other Churches which communicate with the Roman in what soeuer part they are constituted are comprehended vnder the common word of the Roman Church when wee saie the Catholicke Apostolicke and Roman Church because they hold the Roman Church for the center and originall of their communion And in this sence saint AMBROSE saith that his brother inquired if the Bishop of one of the citties of Sardica where he desired to be baptised consented with the Catholicke Bishops that is to saie added hee with the Roman Church And in this sence saint HIEROME saith that the Church of Alexandria glorifies her selfe that she participates with the Roman Faith And in this sence Iohn Patriarke of Constātinople writes to Pope Hormisdas Wee promise not to recite amongst the sacred mistiries the names of those which are separate from the communion of the Cathoick Church that is to saie that consent not in all thinges with the Sea Apostolick And in this sence Beda vseth these words Our mother the Roman Church In this same sence they comprehend vnder the Greeke Church not only the natuaall Greekes but the Russians and Muscouites although they be distinct in nation and in language from the Greekes yea euen haue their Seruice in a tongue quite different for asmuch as they adhere to the Creeke Church Not that the particular Roman Church may not also in a certaine regard be called Catholicke For the word Catholicke is taken in three sortes to witt either formallie or causallie or participatiuelie Formally the only vniuersall Church that is to saie the Societie of all the true particular churches vnited in one selfe same communiō is called catholicke Causallie the Roman church is called Catholicke for as much as she infuseth vniuersalitie into all the whole bodie of the Catholicke church That it is soe to cōstitute vniuersalitie there must be two thinges one that may analogicallie be insteede of matter thereto to witt the multitude for where there is no multitude there can be noe vniuersalitie And the other to be in-steede of forme thereto to witt vnitie for a multitude without vnitie makes noe vniuersalitie Take awaie saith sainct AVGVSTINE the vnitie from the multitude and it is a tumult but bring in vnitie and it is the people And therefore the Roman Church which as center and beginning of the ecclesiasticall communion infuseth vnitie which is the forme of vniuersalitie into the Catholicke Church and by consequent causeth vniuersalitie in her may be called catholicke causallie though in her owne being she be particular noe more nor lesse then the Galley to which all the other Gallies of a Fleete haue relation of dependancie and correspondencie is called the Generall although she bee but one particular Galley because it is she that by the relation that all others haue to her giues vnitie to the totall and generall bodie of the Fleete And finallie particular Churches are called Catholicke participatiuely because they agree and participate in doctrine and communion with the catholicke Church And in this sence the Church of Smyrna addresseth her Epistle To the Catholick Church of Philomilion and to all the Catholick Churches which are throughout the world Of the causes wherefore the Roman Church hath cutt of the rest from her communion CHAP. X. The continuance of the Kings answere AND to exclude from their communion all the rest which dissent from them in anie thinge or refuse the yoake of slauerie THE REPLIE THE most excellent King may be pleased to remember two things one that antient authors haue written that oftentimes for one only word contrarie to Faith manie heresies haue bene cast out of the bodie of the Church And the other that the societies of the Egiptians and Ethiopians haue not bene excluded out of the Church for refusinge that which his maiestie call the yoake of slauerie that is to saie the Superintendencie of the Roman Church but for hauing imbraced the Sect of Eutyches who with all his partakers was cutt off from the Church by the Councell of Chalcedon and that euen to this daie they are all readie and haue often offerred to acknowledge the Pope whom they confesse to bee the Successor of the Prince of the Apostles if they might be receiued into the communion of the Roman Church without obliging them to anathematize Eutiches and Dioscorus And as for the diuision of the Greeke Church the true cause thereof hath bene the Schisme fallen out betweene Ignatius lawfull Patriarke of Constantinople whom the Pope preserued in his communion and Photius intruded into the Patriarkship by the fauour of the Emperor to which Schisme the Greekes added for an obstacle of reuniō as the crabb cast the stone into the oyster to hinder it from shutting itselfe againe the difference of the procession of the holy Ghost and of Schismatickes became flatt heretickes This was the true cause of the seperation of the Greekes and not the yoake of slaueries of the Roman Church of the which neither Jgnatius nor anie of his Catholicke Predcessors had euer complayned Of the sence wherein the hereticks belonge not to the Catholick Church CHAP. XI The Continuance of the Kings Answere AND so on the suddaine to pronounce presumptuouslie that they belonged not in anie thing to the Catholicke Church THE REPLIE This deniall is
deceiptfull that is to saie he spake not this language to shewe that when he writt it there was then noe externall and visible Church which must be communicated with vnder paine of anathema but contrarywise to shew that they must continue to conserue the externall and visible communion of that Church impolluted and vndefiled from the contagion of the Arrians And therefore in the second place alleadged by his Maiestie he representes two Combates that the good Catholicke Pastors had in theire charges some within the Church against the iealousie emulation of euill Catholickes others without the Church against heretickes Schismatickes And which heretickes and not against the Church intituled Catholicke he calleth the warre sacred warre in imitation of the Phocensian warre which was called sacred Of the pretended precepts to goe forth from the visible communion of the Church CHAP. XV. The continuance of the Kings answere NOW that in the Church it was once necessarie to make such a separation we lerrne it cleerely as well out of other places of the Scripture as frō that which is opēlie declared to vs by this admonition of the holy Ghost made to the Church certainely not without cause Goe out of Babylon my people least you communicate in her sinnes Now what this Babilon is from whence the people of God are commaunded to goe forth the kinge searcheth not into it nor decides nothinge in that respect This certainly at least the thinge it self shewes manifestly that whether in that place by the word Babylon be meant a particular Church or the greater parte of the vniuersall Church it must be she hath heertofore bene a lawfull Church wherewith Religious men communicated 〈◊〉 and then from whom after her deprauation had yet past further the faithfull receiued commaundement to goe forth and to breake the communion they had with her Soe as it is easie to be vnderstood from thence that the faithfull ought not to desire all kinde of communion with those which are called vnder the title of Christ but only that which is made retaining still the 〈◊〉 of the doctrine reuealed from heauen THE REPLIE IT was not without cause the first Grecians called their allegoricall sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be it that this word intend hidden conealed senses or whether it intend suspitions For all senses purelie allegoricall are but suspitiōs coniectures haue noe firme solide foūdatiō And it is not without cause that the hebrew Doctors call the literall sense of the scripture the little word the allegoricall sense the great word For the literall sense is restrained by the square straight measure of that which is cōtained in the text where as the allegoricall sence hath noe boūd but is multiplied infinitly goes as farre as humane imaginatio can be stretched And therefore this axiom is past for a prouerbe in diuinitie that allegories proue nothinge Now if there be a booke in the world writtē in an allegoricall stile what one cā be equalled in that kinde to the Reuelation which as Sainct IEROM saith containes as manie Sacraments that is to saie sacred riddles as wordes And if Sainct AVGVSTINE cryed out against the Donatists who would haue found a prediction of theire Church in an allegoricall verse of the Canticles and said to them who is it that dares without a most vnbridled licence produce for himselfe that that is 〈◊〉 in an allegorie if he haue not places more cleere by whose light to illustrate that which is obscure What would he saie in this age not against his Maiestie but against the proceedinges of those that haue built the vocation of theire Church vpon these alegoricall wordes of the Reuelation goe forth of Babylon my people who knowes not that it is a solution sufficient for arguments drawne out of allegoricall expositions to answere I denie it and principally when there may be an other sense giuen to the allegoricall wordes then that according to which they are alleadged If I could not saith Sainct AVGVSTINE answering an allegoricall obiection proue this sense by anie more certaine argument yet it ought to satisfie euerie iudicious bearer that I haue foūd an issue for these wordes by meanes whereof it appeares that they haue alleadged nothīge for thēselues that is certaine but what may de doubted of And not only may there be found an other way of vnderstādinge this passage then that which his Maiestie supposes but antiquitie hath found two others and both celebrated by excellent and authenticall Authors and those which haue come after haue yet added a third The first way of vnderstandinge it is to interpret Babylon described by the Reuelation to be the Societie of all the wicked in generall as S. AVGVSTINE and many others often expound it in that sense and to expound Ierusalem described in the same booke to be the Societie of all the Good which are the two Citties whereof Saint AVGVSTINE hath composed a worke of the Cittie of the diuell which began in Cain and the Cittie of God which began in Abell For as there is the same reason in things contrary and opposite soe must the interpretatio of that Ierusalem painted out in the Reuelation and that of that Babylon which is opposed to it be a like Marke said Saint AVGVSTINE the names of these two Citties Babylon and Ierusalem Babylon signifies confusion and Ierusalem the view of peace c. They are mingled from the beginninge of humane kind and shall continue soe to the end of the world Hierusalem tooke her beginning from Abell and Babylon from Cain And a little after From whence can we now shew them that is discerne them Our Lord will shew to vs when he placeth them the one on his right hand the other on his left Ierusalem shall heare come you blessed of my father take possession of the kingdome which is prepared for you from the beginminge of the world and Babylon shall heare goe you cursed into eternall fire which is prepared for the diuell and his Angells Yet we may also bringe some marke accordinge to the capacitie that it pleases God to giue vs by which the faithfull and godlie Cittizens of Ierusalē may be distinguished from the Cittizens of Babylon Two loues make these two Citties the loue of God makes Ierusalem the loue of the world makes Babylon let euerie one then examine himselfe what he loues and he shall finde of which he is a Cittizen And in an other place all the wicked belong to Babylon as all the Saintes doe to Ierusalem And in the volume of the Cittie of God And what shall we gather from this but that we must flie out of the middle of Babilon which propheticall precept ought spirituallie to be vnderstood in this sense that out of the Cittie of this world wich is without doubt the societie of euill Angells and wicked men we should flie with the steps of faith which workes by loue and
gouernement is not because of his dignitie of patriarke but because of his qualitie of Bishop And secondlie who knowes not that Diodorus Siculus writes that manie placed Alexandria the first or second of all the Citties of the world and assirmes that in his tyme there were aboue three hundred thousand Freemen inhabitans in Alexandria and that Herodian saith that Geta esteemed that Alexandria and Antioch were not farr short of Rome and that 〈◊〉 calls Constantinople equall to Rome And as for the prouinces neere Constantinople and Alexandria who knowes not that they were no lesse peopled then the prouinćes neere and contiguous to Rome and principallie if we belieue Josephus wherein 〈◊〉 saith that Egipt contained Seauenty fiue hundred thousand of men without accompting the inhabitantes of Alexandria And Diodorus Siculus who saith that the ancient Egipt contained aboue eighteen thousand Citties or famous Boroughes The word Suburbicary being deriued as Grammar teacheth vs from the word vrbs the lawes of Etimology will that the varietie of the signisications should be ruled according to the difference of the acceptions of the word vrbs the primitiue Now the word vrbs preciselie taken for the 〈◊〉 of Rome had two Offices the one to distinguish her from all Cittie 's contained vnder the Empire of the same Cittie of Rome which was Called by excellencie and absolutely vrbs from whence it is that S. CYPRIAN calls the Clearks of Rome Clearkes of the Cittie and the first Councell of Arles intitles the Deacons of Rome the deatons of the Cittie And Optatus Mileuitanus calls Zepherinus Bishop of Rome Zepherinus of the Cittie And GREGORIE of Tours saith Papam Vrbis intending the Pope of Rome and that conformablie both to the eminencie of the Cittie and to the Councell that Mecenas reported by Dion gaue to Augustus to make all other people take their Citties but for Countrie howses and Villages and to beleiue that there was but one Cittie trulie a Cittie to witt Rome And the other to distinguish it from the onelie Citties subiect to the Prouostship of Rome which they called the Prefecture of the Cittie which contained the next hundred thousand paces to the Cittie of Rome And therefore as the word vrbs taken precisely for the Cittie of Rome had two vses one relatiue to the Imperiall territorie of the Cittie of Rome and the other relatiue to the prouostall territorie of the Cittie of Rome so the word suburbicary taken according to the reason of the etymology ought to haue two offices the one generall to witt to designe all the Citties situate within the emperiall territory of Rome that ancient writers called Romania from whence it is that saint ATHANASIVS said that Rome was the Sea Apostolick and Metropolitan of Romania the other particular and more proper to lawyers to witt to designe the onely Citties situate within the prouostall territorie of Rome that is to saie within a hundred thousand paces about Rome which they called suburbicary to distinguish thē from the Citties of Italie subiect to the Pretoriall prefect of Italie who held his Seate at Milan the which and principallie since the tyme of Constantine was partycularly called Italie for before Constantines tyme the pretoriall Prefecture was not yet diuided into fowre Pretoriall Prefectures of Italie of Gallia of Illiria and of the East but consisted in one onely Prefecture though it were sometymes solidarily administred by two persons Now to pretend that it were in this second sence to wit not by relation to the Imperiall territory of Rome but by relation to the Prouostall territory of Rome that Ruffinus hath translated that the Bishop of Rome should haue the care of the Churches suburbicary what were this but to finde the Readers some what to laugh at For besides that this terme was not in vse but in the authors that haue written since Constantin and the Councell of Nicea who euer heard of shutting vp the Popes authoritie within the next hundred thousand paces of the Cittie of Rome is there so simple a scholler that knowes not that the Pope setting aside his qualitie of head of the Church was Patriarcke of the West whence it is that saint BASILE considering him as Patriarke calls him the Corypheos of the westerne people And that S. IEROME speaking of him in the same qualitie cries out let them condemne me of heresie with the west let them condemne me of heresie with Egipt that is to saie with Damasus and with PETER vnderstanding by Damasus Pope Damasus and by PETER Peter Patriarke of Alexandria whom Socrates saith Pope Damasus had newly then restored And euen the Greeke Scismaticks did not they anciētly acknowledge that the Patriarkship of the Pope did anciently cōtaine all the prouinces of the Empire of the West that is to saie all the Prouinces of Italie Africa Spaine France and the Germanies England the Western Illiria vnder which was vnderstood Dalmatia Hūgaria the neighbouring prouinces Thou Seest saith Nilus Archbishop of Thessalonica disputing against the Latins that the Canon of the Councell of Nicea esteemes that the rules of the Fathers ought to be confirmed which haue distributed to euery Church their priuiledges to witt that some of the Nations should be submitted to the Bishop of Alexandria others to the Bishop of Antioch as those of Syria the two Cilicia's Coelosiria Mesopotamia And to the Bishop of Rome is giuen the same to wit that he haue the superintendencie of those of the West And Zonarus a Greeke commenter and a Schismatick expounding the sixth Canō of the Coucell of Nicea long before Nilus The Councell saith 〈◊〉 ordaines that the Bishop of Alexandria should haue the 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 of Libia and Pentapolis c. as the ancient custome had giuen to the Bishop of Rome to commaunde in the prouinces of the west yea doth not the same Zonarus write that the patriarkship of Rome comprehended not onely all the prouinces of the Empire of the West but also almost all the westerne prouinces of the Empire of the East To the Roman Church saith 〈◊〉 comenting the fifth Canon of the Councell of Sardica were then 〈◊〉 almost all the westerne Churches to wit those of Macedonia those of Illiria those of 〈◊〉 those of Peloponesus those of Epirus which haue since bene attributed to the Sea of Constantinople For those prouinces that Zonarus calls westerne were all of the Empire of the East but they were called western and appertained to the Patriarkship of the west for as much as they had bene 〈◊〉 the ancient Empire of the West such as it had bene possessed by the common-Weale of Rome before the Empire of Asia holden by the Seleucides other neighbour-Princes that of Egipt were vnited to it such as it had bene limited by the Emperors Antonius and Geta when they 〈◊〉 to diuide the Roman world and set the Bosphorus for a barr betweene
these words Who is it saith hee that doubts but that the Church of Constantinople is subiect to the Sea Apostolicke which the most Religious Lord the Emperor and our brother Bishop of the same cittie continuallie protest For as for the illusion of those who to weaken the credit of this passage cauill vpon the word Eusebius which is in the printed copies before these words Bishop of the same cittié and obiect that the Bishop of Constantinople then being was not called Eusebius but Cyriacus I will not stand vpon it to say that there was noe inconuenience in it that Cyriacus might haue had two names and be called Eusebius Cyriacus as Sainct IEROME was called EVSEBIVS IEROME And besides that the word Eusebius might there be taken adiectiuely and signifie pious and religious as when Arrius writt to Eusebius Bishop of Nicomedia Farewell Eusebius trulie Eusebius that is to saie farewell Eusebius truly Religious It will be a shorte cutt to answere at the first that it is an error of the Exemplarists who of an 〈◊〉 euill written and for that occasion blotted out and written againe haue made Eusebius for the copies of this epistle which had bene currant two hundred yeare after saint GREGORIE read simplie and our brother Bishop of the same cittie without makeing anie mention of 〈◊〉 as is seene by the relation of Amalarius Bishop of Treuers who liued eight hundred yeares agone who inserting into his Booke of the Ecclesiasticall offices this epistle of saint GREGORIE whole and intire from the beginning to the endinge reports the period now in question in these onely words without anie mention of Eusebius for as for that which is spoken of the Church of Constantinople who doubts but it is subiect to the Sea Apostolicke which the most Religious Lord the Emperor and our brother the Bishop of the same Towne continually protest And therefore alsoe when the Patriarkes of Constantinople were in anie Synodicall action with the Popes Legates yea within Constantinople it selfe they abstayned from the title of Vniuersall and left it to the Popes Legates alone for their master to the end to shew that they held the Pope for head and stocke of the Vniuersalitie and did repute themselues Vniuersall but in the absence of him or of those that represented him as appeares by the signatures of the third generall Councell of Constantinople which was celebrated vnder Constantine Pogonat in the next age after Sainct GREGORIE wherein the Popes Legates signed in the qualitie of Legats to the vniuersall Pope and the Patriarke of Constantinople in the qualitie of onely Bishop of Constantinople for though the epistle of the Emperor to the Patriark of Constantinople written before the holding of the Councell attributes to him the title of Vniuersall neuerthelesse in the signatures of the Councell the onely Legats of the Pope take the title of Vniuersall for their master and signe in this forme Theodorus humble Priest of the holy Church of Rome and holding the place of the blessed and vniuersall Pope of the cittie of Rome Agatho I haue subscribed George humble Priest of the holy Church of Rome and holdinge the place of the blessed and Vniuersall Pope of the Cittie of Rome Agatho I haue subscribed Iohn humble ` Deacon of the holy Church of Rome and holding the place of the blessed and vniuersall Pope of the Cittie of Rome Agatho I haue subscribed And the Patriarke of Constantinople forbare it and signed thus George by the mercie of God Bishop of Constantinople new Rome I haue voted and subscribed The third Answere is that whatsoeuer was the intention of the Patriarke of Constantinople so farr was hee from doeing anie thinge against the Popes authoritie as contrarywise he confirmed and 〈◊〉 it altogether And that it is so how from this that the Bishop of Constantinople pretended to be vniuersall Bishop because Constantinople had bene associated to the Rights of Rome can it chose but followe that the Bishop of Rome was so primitiuely and originallie For as for those that saie that the Patriarke of Constantinople was called Oecumenicall Bishop in the same sence wherein the other Patriarkes were so called not knowing that there is great difference betweene the word Catholicke Bishop which Nilus attributes to the Patriarkes which signifies generall Bishop of a Region and the word 〈◊〉 Bishop which signifies vniuersall Bishop either of all the Imperiall Orbe or of the particular Orbe of the Empire of Constantinople I will not stand to confute them it shall suffice me to aske them why then the Patriarke of Constantinople neuer gaue the name of vniuersall Patriarke to the other Patriarkes of the East And why the other Patriarkes of the East neuer gaue it one to another but haue yeilded it onely to the Bishops of Rome and of Constantinople And why the Bishops of Constantinople haue stirred vp so many tragedies to participate therein and haue alleadged that Constantinople was the second Rome and ought after her to enioy the same Rights and priuiledges And in briefe it shall sussice me to aske them why then both anciently and euen to this day the Patriarke of Constantinople doth attribute to himself by vertue of his vniuersalitie this aduantage aboue the other Patriarkes of the East to call the generall Councells of the East and to preside in them and to iudge by appeale of the sentences of the other Patriarkes It hath bene reported saith Pope Pelagius in the epistle before alleadged to those of the East to the Sea Apostolicke that Iohn Bishop of Constantinople inscribes himselfe Vniuersall and by vertue of that his presumption hath called you to a generall Councell And the Emperors Constantine and Leo The care and the iudgement of all the Metropolitanships and Bishopricks and of all the Monasteries and Churches appertaine to their proper Patriarke but the Patriarke ol Constantinople may in the territorie of the other Seas when there hath bene noe precedent consecration plant the Crosse and not onelie soe but also may decide and determine the controuersies bredd ' in the other Seas And Nilus The twentie eight canon of the Councell of Chalcedon and the thirtith six of the sixth Councell honoring the Sea of Constantinople with like priuiledges to that of Rome graunt also manifestly the appeales to that of Constantinople And Balsamon This priuiledge is not giuen to the Pope alone to witt that euerie condemned Bishop should haue recourse to the Sea of Rome but it ought also to be vnderstood of the Patriarke of Constantinople And elsewhere that which neuerthelesse is but a claime bredd amongst the Greekes since the schisme The fifteenth canon of the councell of Antioch was abolished by the fourth Canon of the councell of Sardica or at least is to be vnderstood of the Synods which are subiect to noe appeale as those of the Pope and of the Patriarke of Constantinople For as for the place of Photius from whence they
Africans to Pope Celestine I haue said the mocke-Councell of Rhemes for as much as the very Centuriators that caused it to be printed confesse it to haue bene a tyrannicall Councell holden at the instance of Hugh Capet to oppresse Arnulphus bastard Brother to the king Lotharius Legitimate and innocēt Bishop of Orleans And besides that it was disannulled three yeares after by the authoritie of the Sea Apostolicke and of Seguin Archbishop of Sens and with the consent of Hugh Capet himself Then whether the Latine text of these Epistles be a translatiō of the Greeke edition or whether the ancient latine originall being come to our hands hath bene corrupted be it by the ignorance of the Book-binders or by the malice of the 〈◊〉 is the thing in question And the causes of this doubt are that whereas in the copie of the African Canons the latine edition is much more correct then the Greeke in the copie of the Epistles contrarywise the Greeke edition is very correct and the latine most depraued and corrupt and the corruptions are such as seeme to proceede from the ambiguitie and misunderstanding of the Greeke wordes I will alleadge fiue patterns The first patterne shall be taken from the Epistle to Pope Boniface where the Greeke text speaking of the canons that Pope Zozimus had sent into Africa vnder the title of the Canons of the Councell of Nicea saith These things haue bene rigistred in the Acts till the more certaine Copies of the Councell of Nicea shall come in which if they be couched in the same forme as they are contained in the instruction that our Bretheren haue shewed vs sent by the Sea Apostolicke and that they be obserued in the same fashion by you in Italie we will make no more mention thereof nor further contest of the not suffering them which is the true sence of the African Bishops who had newly before be sought the Pope that he would cause them to obserue in the like case what should be found in the copies of the Coūcell of Nicea which should be brought out of the Eact And which is the sence also that hath bene followed by the Protestants of Germanie in the last impression that they haue made of the Councells of Africa And the latine text contrarywise saith These things haue bene inserted into the Acts vntill the coming of the more certaine copies of the Councell of Nicea which if they be there contained so as they are 〈◊〉 in the instruction as our Bretheren sent by the Sea Apostolicke haue alleaged and were kept in the same forme amongst you in Italie we shall be no waie constrained to tollerate things such as we will not now call to memory or to suffer them intollerable Wordes that besides the impertinencie of the construction in the alternatiue whereof there is no antithesis are directly repugnant to the sence and intention of the Epistle which is contrarywise to saie that if the clauses intended by the Popes instruction were to be found in the copies of the Councell of Nicea which should come out of the East they would not so much as open their mouthes to speake of it and would not contest of the not suffring them and whereof the corruption seemes to proceede from the ambiguitie of the two Greeke verbes whereof the one signifies to make mention or to commemorate and the other to bee constrained and to contest The second patterne shall be taken from the exordium of the Epistle to Pope Celestine where the Greeke text speaking of Apiarius saith For first he hath mainely resisted all the Councell charging it with diuers contumelies vnder pretence of pursuing the priuiledges of the Roman Church and willing to cause himselfe to be receiued into our communion because your Holynesse beleeuing that he had appealed to you which he could not proue had restored him to the communion Yet this did not succeede with him as you shall more at large vnderstand by reading the Acts Which is the true sence of the wordes of the Epistle and which also the Protestants of Germanie haue followed in the last impression that they haue made of the Councell of Africa And the latine text contrarywise importes referring these wordes to Faustinus the Popes Legate For 〈◊〉 how much he hath resisted all the Assemblie Charging it with manie 〈◊〉 vnder colour of pursuing the priuiledges of the Roman Church and willing to 〈◊〉 him to be receiued into our communion because your Holynesse beleeuing he had appealed to you which could not be proued had restored him to the commnnion which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was not lawfull as you shall better discerne by reading the Acts which are three deprauations one in the neck of an other the first in this that the latine text referrs to Faustinus that which the Councell saith of 〈◊〉 as it appeares by these words For first which shew that it speakes of him of whom it had begun and continued to speake of in the following periods and by this subsequent clause when we examine the crimes that haue bene obiected to him which could not be vnderstood but of Apiarius And this seemes to proceede from the ambiguitie of the Greeke pronowne which being taken in a reciprocall signification signifies himselfe and obligeth the Readers to translate willing to make himselfe be receiued which is the sence that the new editions of the Prote stants of Germanie haue embraced and being taken in a direct signification signifies him and obligeth the Readers to translate willing to cause him to be receiued The second in this that insteede of these words of the Greeke text Notwithstanding this hath not succeeded to him which are spoken of the Action of Apiarius the latine text setts downe which yet was not lawfull and referrs it to the action of the Pope against the credit of this remitment as you shall better discerne by the reading of the Acts which shewes that the Councell speakes of the issue of Apiarius his cause and not of the Popes action and this seemes to haue proceeded from the Ambiguitie of the Greeke verbe which signifies to succeede and to be lawfull And the third in this that insteede of the aduerbe greatlie which is in the greeke text the latine edition reades how much a thing which depriues the construction both of sence and verbe and makes the speeche suspence and defectiue The third paterne shall be taken from the beginning of the request of the same Epistle where after these words Premising then the office of a due salutation we beseech you affectionatly that henceforward you will no more so easily admitt to your eares those that come from these partes nor restore to the communion those that haue bene excommunicated by vs for as much as your Reuerence will easily discerne that this hath bene defined by the Councell of Nicea the 〈◊〉 text adds for although it seeme that there should only mention bee made of Clerkes and laymen by how much stronger reason should
found the rule which was in question in the Canons of the Councell of Nycea they required tyme to send into the East to take Copies out of the originall but with what humilitie and with what respect Alwaies praying alwaies beseeching alwaies protesting to obserue in attending the comming of the copies of the Councell of Nicea that which was contained in the instruction of the Popes legats and in case that this Rule were not found in the Canons of the Councell of Nicea requesting his Holynesse to cause them to obserue that which had bene decreed by the Canons of the Councell of Nicea Because said they it hath pleased God that of the things that our holy Bretheren Faustinus our Colleague and Phillip and Asellus our fellowe Priests haue treated with vs our Humilitie gaue answere not to the Bishop of Blessed memorie Zosimus from whom they brought vs commaundement and letters but to thy Reuerence that haue bene diuinely instituted in his steed we ought heere breefly to insinuate those thinges which haue bene determined by the reciprocall agreement of both parties And againe We request your Holynesse that as these things haue bene done or decreed by the Fathers of the Councell of Nicea so you will cause them to be obserued by vs and that you will cause to be prastised amongst you that is on 〈◊〉 side the sea the points contained in the instructions And againe These things haue bene registred in the acts vntill the coming of the more certaine copies of the Councell of Nicea within the which if they be sett downe in the same sort as they are contained in the instruction that hath bene shewed vs by our bretheren sent by the sea Apostolike and obserued amongst you in Italie wee wil no more make mention thereof For soe is the reading in the greeke text and so wee haue proued heeretofore that it must be read nor further contest of the not induring it And presently after speaking of the Article of the Priestes appeales which was the last article that they came from reporting and that which most troubled them by reason of the insolence of the African Priests who vnder pretence of these Appeales dispised and shooke of all their Bishops iurisdiction But we beleiue with the helpe of Gods mercie that your Holynesse presiding in the Roman Sea wee shall no longer suffer this typhe that is to saie this meteor or this vexation or this insolence of Priests despising and shaking of the yoake of Episcopall discipline but that those things that brotherly charitie yea though ourselues were silent requires to be obserued towards vs and which your selues according to the wisedome and Iustice that the most high hath bestowed vpon you doe know ought to be obserued shall be obserued to vs ward if at least the copies of the Councell of Nicea speake otherwise then your Legats instruction For that is intended by the word typhe which being taken in his proper and naturall sence signifies globe of smoke or meteor from whence it is that the greeke Marriners call the meteors and whirlewindes short from the clowdes in the forme of Globes and rolls of smoke Typhons and being taken in the figuratiue sence signifies sometymes vexation by allusion to the smoke with which bees are driuen sometymes pride sometymes insolence and sometymes fury and madnes termes all agreable to the persecution that the Bishops of Africa receiued from the insolent appeales of their priests whereof they had newly said in Apiarius his case For as much as manie such examples haue caution must be vsed that heereafter there may happen none such or yet 〈◊〉 And the while to obey the present commandement of the Pope they restored Apyarius to the Communion and to his Priesthood as they testfie by these words of their Epistle to Boniface Apiarius crauing pardon 〈◊〉 his faults hath bene restored to the communion And againe It hath pleased 〈◊〉 that Apiarius should retire from the Church of Sicca retayning the honor of his degree And by these in their Epistle to Celestine Apiarius had bene formerlie restored to Priestood by the intercession of Faustinus And not only that but also protested in expecting the coming of the copies out of the East to obserue from point to point what was contained in the instructions of the Popes legates We protest said Alipius vpon the reading of the first article to obscrue these thinges vntill the coming of the perfest copies And S. AVGVSTINE vpon the reading of the second We protest also to obserue this article sauing a more diligent inquirie of the Councell of Nicea And the Fathers of the councell in the Epistle to Boniface Wee protest to obserue these things vntill the proofe of the Canons of the Councell of Nicea and wee trust in the will of God that your Holynesse also will helpe vs in it By meanes whereof the appeales remayned in the estate contayned in the instruction of the Popes legates vntill the coming of the copies from the East When the copies of the councell of Nicea had bene brought out of the East wherein these Canons which also were of the Councell of Sardica and not of the Councell of Nicea were not to be found the African Bishops sēt a Duplicat thereof to Pope Boniface neuerthelesse without innouating anie thinge in matter of appeales Whē Pope Boniface was dead who deceased a few yeares after and Celestine created Pope in his place Apiarius who had retired himself frō Sicca to Tabraca a Cittie of the same Prouince to witt of Numidia to exercise his priesthood there fell in to other crimes for which at the instance of the Tabracians he was condemned and deposed by the Councell of the Prouince from this Councell Appealed or fayned to haue Appealed to Rome to Pope Celestin vpō this pretēce of appeale sēt Faustin ' againe who had assisted at Apiari his iudgmēt of appeale against those of Sicca to cause a new Coūcell to be holden in Africa where the cause of Apiarius against those of Tabraca was in the presence of the same Faustinus againe put to triall the while restored and reintegrated Apiarius by forme of prouision to the Cōmunion The Africans to obey the Popes commandement assembled a last Councell where they remitted Apiarius his cause to examination in the presence of the Popes Legates and found themselues so troubled to cleere the crimes for which they had deposed him which he affrontedly and impudently denied as if he had not conuinced himselfe they despaired of euer compassing it God so pressed the impostume of Apiarius his hart as he broke it and constrayned him to vomitt vp by an vnexpected confession all the filth rottennes and infamyes whereof hee was accused and which he had denied with so much fraude and impudence The Africans then pricked and stung with these infamous and insolent proceedings of Apiarius and moued with this that the Canons
declare to thee that thou art Peter and vpon this Rocke which is my self I will build my Church and I will giue to thee the keyes of the Kingdome of heauen The fifth that the connexion of the pronowne this with the repetition of the word Petra before exprest sheweth that it is a relatiue pronowne and whose relation is determined to the antecedent alreadie exprest by meanes whereof this pronowne could not be diuerted from the naturall vse of the relatiue that the repetition of the antccedent giues it to an vse of a demōstratiue pronowne but by the application of an externall gesture of demonstration either exprest in the text of the historie or by the verie explication of the historian As when our Lord after he had spoken of the Iewish Temple said Destroie this temple and within three daies I will build it vp againe The Euangelists to hinder the pronowne from being taken for a pronowne relatiue as the repetition of the word Temple alreadie before expressed would haue informed the auditors adds this he spake of the Temple of his 〈◊〉 a thing which is not in this passage AND the sixth and principall that it is most certaine that our Lord in these words thou art Peter and vpon this Peter or Rocke intended to allude to the name of S. PETER Now all allusions which are made to names are either allusions of confirmation or allusions of correction I call allusiōs of confirmation those which are made to confirme or approue the imposition of the name which had bene first giuen As when Uopiscus called the Emperor Probus trulie Probus that is to saie trulie an honest man and Carus truly Charus that is to saie trulie deare And saint ATHANASIVS called Osius truly Osius that is to saie 〈◊〉 holy And the Councell of Constantinople holden vnder Menas called Agapet truly Agapet that is to saie 〈◊〉 beloued I call allusions of correction those which are made to correct and reprehend the imposition of the name first giuen to shewe that the effect of the name agrees not with him that beares it And these allusiōs of correction againe are of two sortes the one are made by simple negation 〈◊〉 antithesis as when Noemi said Call me no more Noemi that is to saie Agreable but call mee mara that is to saie bitter And the other are made by translation as when the name that hath bene first imposed vpon anie one is transferred to an other As when saint 〈◊〉 speaking of Absalon whose name signified the peace of the Father saith That the true Absalon is Iesus Christ it is an allusion of translation and consequentlie of correctiō by which he transferrs the name of Absalon to Iesus Christ and shewes that it had not iustlie bene imposed vpon Absalon From whence it ariseth that if our Lord in saying Vpon this Rock I will build my Church intended by the word Rock the person of sainct PETER he ment to make an allusion of approbation but if hee intended his owne he ment to make an allusion of translation and consequently of correction Now besides that it must be impertinent that our Lord should make an allusion of correction vpon a name imposed by himselfe it is manifest that in honorable names allusions of approbation and confirmation are in steede of complements and gratifications and allusions of correction are in steede of reprehensions and chasticemets Then to know whether our Lord did there meane to make an allusion of approbation and by the word Rock intend the person of S. PETER or to make an allusion of correction and translation and by the word Rock intend his owne there needes but to see whether he meant by these words to cherish gratifie and recompence S PETER or to shake him vp and chastice him For if by the word Rock he vnderstood the person of S. PETER he ment to cherish and recōpence him but if there by he vnderstood his owne he meant to be rough with him and to correct him Now both the foregoeing confession of S. PETER Thou art Christ the Sonn of the liuing God and the preface of our Lords words Blessed art thou Symon the Sonne of Iona and this marke of recompence and reciprocall vicissitude of title and elogie translated by Beza himself into these wordes I saie reciprocallie to thee cannot without sacrilege suffer a doubt but that he intēded not in that place to be harsh with him and to chastice him but to gratifie and recompence him The blessed confession saith S. HILLARIE hath receaued the reward nor consequētlie but that our lord intēded to make an allusiō of cōfirmation not of correction that is to saie that he designed by the word Rock not his owne persō but the persō of S PETER And against this ought not to be obiected that S. PAVL writes The Rock was Christ. For metaphoricall names are not takē alwaies in the sams sēce nor for the same thinges but varie their significatiōs according to the seuerall relations whereunto they are imployed which hath caused S. THOMAS to saie that in metaphors there is not so much regard to be had from whence they are takē as to what they are taken and therefore although the word Rock sometimes signifies Christ in the scripture it would neuerthelesse be a blinde 〈◊〉 to will that wheresoeuer the scriptures vseth it it should be intēded of Christ. For sometimes the word Rock is imploied according to the relatiō that the Rock of a quarry hath to the morcels of stone that are drawne out of it And in this sence Abraham is called Rock Looke saith Esaie vpon the Rock from whence you haue bene cutt vpō Abraham your Father sometimes it is imployed according to the relation of the drynesse barennes that rockes haue to the seede that is cast vpon them and in this sence hard and indocile partes are intended by the word Rock Part of the seed said our Lord fell vpon the Rock Sometimes it is imployed according to the relatiō of the stedfastnes and soliditie that Rocks haue in the buildings which are founded vpon them And in this sence our lord saith to S. PETER Vpōthis Rock I will build my Church alluding to the custome of ātiquitie who vsed when they were to build temples to choose to build them vpō Rocks for their firmnes rather then vpon other places From whence it is that the place where vpon the Temple of Delphus was built was called the Delphian Rocks and that the men of a certaine Cittie of Asia to be preferred in the building of a Temple to the Emperor Tiberius represented to him that their cittie was situate vpon a Rocke And therefore our lord intending to build his Church vpon S PETER said to him according to the Hebrew and the Syriacke Thou art a Rock and vpon this Rock I will build my Church Sometymes it is imployed according to the relation that Rocks haue to the sources
and fountaines that spring from them and in this sence the Apostle saith They dranke of the spirituall Rock which followed them and that Rock was Christ. By meanes whereof to inferr from this that in these words the Rock was Christ when it is spoken of the Rock referr'd to the water 〈◊〉 sprang from it Christ was intended by the word Rock that heere where it is spoken of the word Rock referrd to the metaphor of the ministeriall building of the Church it should be necessarie to vnderstand it of the person Christ and not of of that of saint PETER were an inconsequent consequence And it is not to be said that in the parable of the man that built his howse vpon the rocke by the word Rock Christ is vnderstood for the litterall sence of the word Rock in this place is noe other then to signifie a good and firme foundation and that this is expounded of Christ it is by allegorie Now there is great difference betweene the litterall sence of places mingled with metaphoricall termes and the allegoricall sence For from the litterall sence of places mingled with metaphoricall termes arguments may be made and consequences may be drawne from one passage to an other and from the allegoricall sence not And then if sainct PAVL had said euen according to the relation to the ministeriall building of the Church the Rock was Christ hath not our Lord vsually communicated his names to his ministers And did not Iacob annoint the stone in Bethell in the figure of Christ as prefiguring that Christ ought to be the stone whereof God prophecied by the mouth of Esay Behold I will set vp in Sion a Rock well founded And neuerthelesse doth not the same Iacob saie that Joseph was the Pastor and the Rocke of Israel making vse of the word Euen in both of them That is to saie doth he not communicate by word the same word Rock of Israell to Ioseph that he had communicated by figure to Christ And if they stagger about the difference which is betweene the word Euen the word Tsur or Petra which signifies Rock although Beza doe not distinguish it when he translates Thou shalt be called Cephas which is interpreted lapis Doth not Tertullian write according to the vse euen of the word Tsur or Petra He hath giuen to the dearest of his disciples to Peter the name of one of his figures And doth not S. HIEROME write vpon the same place of S. MATTHEW As our Lord who is the light hath giuen to his Apostles that they should be the light so to Peter beleeuing in the Rock-Christ he hath giuen to be the Rocke And therefore according to the metaphor of Rock it is said to him with good right I will build my Church vpon thee And elsewhere Not only Christ was the Rock but hee hath giuen to Peter that hee should also be the Rock And sainct BASILL Although Peter be also the Rock neuerthelesse hee is not the Rock as Christ but hee is the Rock as Peter for as much as Christ is essentiallie the vnmoueable Rock and Peter is so by the Rock for our Lord giues his dignities without dispoyling himselfe of them c. He is the Rock he makes the Rock And sainct EPIPHANIVS He hath made the first of his Apostles the firme Rock wherevpon the Church is built And againe It is hee that hath heard from him Peter feede my lambes and to whom the keeping of the Flock hath bene committed And PROSPER This most strong Rock hath receaued from the principall Rock commmunication both of vertue and name For whereas sainct AVGVSTINE after hee had interpreted in manie places the Rock of the person of PETER as in these words of the comentarie vpon the sixtie ninth Psalme Peter who is in this confession had bene called the Rock vpon which the Church should be built And in these words of the Psalmes against Donatus his partie Reckon the Prelates from the Sea of Peter And in this order of the Fathers see who haue succeeded one an other this is the Rock that the prowde gates of Hell cannot ouerthrow And in these words of the comentarie vpon sainct IOHN Peter this Rock answered in the name of all and in those words of the Epistle eightie six Peter the head of the Apostles the Porter of heauen the foundation of the Church remitts it finallie in his retractations to the readers choyse whether of these two interpretations hee thinkes to be most probable to witt either to interpret it of the person of PETER or to interpret it of the person of CHRIST moued with this that the Latine text hath Tues Petrus and not Tues Petra This is a grammaticall error partlie proceeding from the defect of knowledge in the Hebrew and the Syriack tongues in which there is noe difference betweene Petrus and Petra But the text hath it throughout Thou art Cephas and vpon this Cephas that is to saie in Latine Tues Petra supra hanc Petram and in French Tu es rocher sur ce rocher Thou art a rock and vpon this rock partlie for want of experience in the practise of the greeke tongue in which the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie one selfe-same thing from whence it is that manie Greekes haue called the Sunne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to saie stone by allusion to the doctrine of Anaxagoras who held that the Sunn was a stone By meanes whereof the Greeke interpreter of S. MATTHEW hath pretended to put noe difference in sence but only in kinde betweene these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and meant to saie no other thing but what wee vnderstand in French by these words Tuesroc sur ce rocher ie bastiray mon Eglise And therefore alsoe saint BASILL produces the first part of the clause in these words Thou art the Rock 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hauing regard to the wordes of our Sauiour in which the cōdition of the Hebrew and Syriake tongues permitt not to make the distinction of gender as S. HIEROME notes in these words Not saith hee that Petrus and Petra signifie differing things but because that which in latine we call Petra the hebrewes and Syrians because of the affinitie of their tongues call it Cephas And this Beza though an enemie to the true sence of this passage is constrained to confesse in these words The Lord speaking in Syriack hath not vsed diuersitie of name but in both places hath said Cephas as in our vulgar French the word Pierre is said as well of the proper as of the appellatiue And for this same cause he translates the place of the first Chapter of saint Iohn into these termes Thou shalt bee called Cephas which is interpreted Petra that is to saie Rock or stone And not soe much as the doctors of the lewes but doe
intended in deede and not in Right for we doe not denie but that the heretickes belong by right to the Church that is to saie that the Church hath to exercise her authority ouer them and to iudge censure and excommunicate them but wee saie that they belonge not in deede to the Catholick church that is to saie that they are not actually comprehended and contained in the catholicke Church and are not members and partes thereof And it is not wee that saie this but saint AVGVSTINE who writes it in these words And therefore neither the heretick belongs to the Catholick Church because she loues God nor the Schismatick because she loues her neighbour Of the proceeding of the other sects CHAP. XII The continuance of the Kings answere AND it is not you alone that attribute to yourselues this right others also doe the same for at this daie a word the king cannot speake without groaning there are manie particular Churches which beleeue themselues onelie to be the particular people that they call the Church if you giue them strength like the Romans they would alreadie haue done as that hath done and would iudge the rest no lesse seuerelie THE REPLIE WHAT those are wee are not to Answere let the dead bury their dead only wee maie saie their conclusion would be good if their hypothesis were true for if they were true churches euery Societie which should be excluded out of their communion should be excluded from the title of the Church and from the right of being able to call thēselues a part of the Catholick Church for as much as the Church as hath bene aboue said is either one or none Of the perswasion that the other sects pretend to haue of the truth of their Church by scriptures CHAP. XIII The Continuance of the Kings Answere WHAT shall I saie more that there are at this daie many sects which are celebrated the sectaries whereof are most stedfastlie persuaded that they alone see some thing into holie writt and as saieth the Poet that they alone are vnderstanding and that the rest hunt after a shaddowe THE REPLIE HARPASTE 〈◊〉 domestical foole hauing lost her sight would not beleeue it was she that was become blinde but perswaded herselfe that it was growne darke It is iust soe with all heretickes they thinke it is the Church that is become darke and full of obscuritie and not themselues which are become blinde To finde anie thing answered the Pelagians to saint AVGVSTINE when he alleadged the multitude of Authors for the Catholicke Church A multitude of blind persons serue to no vse And by that only his maiestie may iudge how necessarie it is not to abandon nor prostitute the exposition of the scripture to the iudgement of euery particular person since there is not that man that when he will make himselfe iudge of it doth not beleeue himselfe only cleere sighted and that the rest as Homer saith embrace nothing but darknes For the Scripture consisting according to saint HIEROME not in the reading but in the vnderstanding and men not being able to assure themselues of the vnderstanding of the Scripture by their particular Spirit for as much as saith saint PETER as the exposition of the Scripture is not made by priuate interpretation it is necessarie to determine the differences that are bredd by the interpretation of the Scripture to haue besides the Scripture a Iudge externall and interposed betweene that and vs who may secure vs of the true sence thereof and that this iudge should haue other markes and be notable by other externall meanes then by that of the doctrine contested since it is from that iudgement that wee ought to learne the decision of the true sence of Scripture in pointes disputable otherwise questions in Religion could neuer be determined no more then differences in ciuill controuersies if wee should leaue the deciding of the sence of the wordes of the lawe to the preoccupated vnderstanding of the Aduocates and parties that there were noe iudge ordained aboue them and sett betweene the lawe and them to interpret it Of the sence wherein hereticks haue disputed the word Catholicke CHAP. XIV The continuance of the Kinges answere IT is verie true that there hath bene noe age wherein there hath not bene conuenticles to raise Sectes parasynaxes which haue bragged of the name of the Catholicke Church and haue drawne ignorant persons to them by this allurement THE REPLIE THAT the ancient Sectes and Parasynaxes of heretickes haue effected the title of Catholicke it was not to pretend in good earnest that it belonged to them nor to drawe ignorant persons to them by that allurement but to dispute it with the catholicke Church and to hinder least by the possession of this name she should preserue her menbers from being defrauded and seduced by hereticks And euen so not to dispute it with her in that sence wherein she attributes it to herselfe to witt as an Epethete of communion but to dispute it in the qualitie of an Epithete of doctrine For heretickes haue alwaies sufficiently knowne that this taken in the true sence could neither be giuen nor maintained to their Sects And therefore they spake not of this word but either in seeming to mocke and scorne at it as when Sympronion saith to saint PACIAN that none vnder the Apostles were called Catholickes And when Fulgentius the Donatist said that the word Catholicke was an human fiction And that the Donatists according to the report of Vincentius Lirinensis cryed out to the Catholicks Come come o you miserable madd people commonlie called Catholicks or in disguising the sence of the word and applying it to signifie the qualitie of doctrine and not the communion of the Church as the Donatists which called themselues Bishops of the Catholicke truth and to whom S. AVGVSTINE said you are those that hold the Catholicke faith not from the communion of the whole world but from the integritie of the diuine Sacraments For when they suffered it to bee admitted in a true sēce they were as speedilie as shamefullie driuen from it I asked him saith S. AVGVSTINE speaking of Fortunatus the Donatist if hee could giue letters cōmunicatory which wee called formed whither I would c. But because the thinge was manifestly false they shifted from it by confusion of language And elsewhere Wee must saith hee hold the Christian Religion and the communion of that Church which is called Catholick not onlie by themselues but by their Enemies For whether the hereticks themselues and the foster children of schismes will or nil not when they speake not with those of their Sects but with others they call the Catholick Church noe otherwise then Catholick Neither could they be vnderstood if they did not discerne it by that name by which the whole world calls it And againe This Church alone amongst soe manie and soe great heresies hath so maintayned this name as when a
therefore the Arrians which are at this daie in Polonia or in Transiluania may well preteÌ„d similitude of doctrine without the ancient Arrians which were in the time of the Councell of Nicea but not SuccessioÌ„ of doctrine for as much as their doctrine hath not bene traÌ„smitted by a liuing perpetuall chaine of teachers and Pâ—â—â—â—ons taught from the ancient Arrians to them For as the fire of the high places was indeede one in similitude with that which came downe from heauen to serue for a beginninge to the fier of the mosaicell sacrifices but not one in vnitie of Succession there being but the only fier preserued for this effect in the Altar of Hierusalem whicb was one in vnity of Succession with that Soe a subsequent doctrine may well be one in vnitie of Similitude with a precedent doctrine without anie flux of continuance to haue bene betweene them but a Subsequent doctrine cannot be one in vnitie of Succession with a preceding doctrine if it haue not bene deriued from it by a perpetuall channell of instruction and by an vninterrupted traine of teachers and persons taught which is that that the Fathers as wee haue elswhere shewed call consanguinitie or genealogie of doctrine to witt a propagation of doctrine deriued without interruption from Father to sonne as by a tree of consanguinitie euen as children are deriued by a perpetuall traine of generation from their Fathers from their Grandfathers and from their great Grandfathers blood And in this Sence S. ATHNASIVS after he had combated the Arrians by the Scrptures and acknowledged that their obstinancie made them indocill to his argumentes made vse of the Succession of doctrine Behold said hee wee haue proued the Succession of our doctrine deliuered from hand to hand from Father to sonn you new Jewes and children of Caiphas what Predecessors can you shew for your words And sainct PACIAN against the Nouatians I holding myself assured vpon the succession of the Church contenting myselfe with the peace of the antient congregation haue neuer studied discord And so whether shee which is at this daie called the English Church haue similitude of doctrine with the Fathers of the first fowre Councells in the pointes which are in controuersie betweene her and vs is that which is in question and which we denie that she can proue but that she hath succession of doctrine with the Church of the first fowre Councells is a thing which cannot bee so much as Challenged For there is noe man that dare saie that the doctrine that the English Church holds at this daie in the points coÌ„tested betweene her and vs is come by a perpetuall and vninterrupted chaine of teachers and persons taught from the Church in the time of the first fowre Coucells vnto her seeing that without goeing higher in the beginning of the Raigne of King Henry the eigth she held directlie contrarie to what she holdes now I omitt to saie that besides the succession of the ministrie and the succession of doctrine there is an other third succession which is that of communion by which from age to age the most Antient in the Societie of the Church receiued into their communion those that came in after them and by this continuance and chaine of communion the faithfull of subsequent ages communicated with them of preceding ages a thing which can not be betweene the members of the antient Catholicke Church and the members of her which at this daie calles her selfe the English Church because their Predecessors haue excluded disinherited and excommunicated them For not onely in the more antient ages the generall Bodie of the Catholicke Church had excommunicated by retaile those which held some one point other some an other of this Rapsodie of doctrines which the Puritans call reformation but particularly the English Church excommunicated in the time of Henry the eigth those that held the doctrine that she which is called the English Church now holdeth Of the holding of a Councell CHAP. XXIV The Continuance of the Kings Answere GIVE vs a free Councell and which shall not depend of the will of one 〈◊〉 THE REPLIE IF by the word alone his maiestie intends the Pope what CouÌ„cell was euer more free in this regarde then the second Councell of Nicea which was celebrated in Bythinia a Prouince of Asia out of the West and out of the Patriarkshipp of the Roman Church and in an other Empire and where there were none of all the Latine Church but only two Priests which represented the Popes person Or what Councell was euer more free in the same regard then the Councell off Constance wherein then when the differences of Faith were treated of because the Papacie was in question not only the Pope did not assist there but euen all the three pretended Popes where deposed For what was practised against Iohn Husse Hierome of Prage after they had againe fallen into the doctrine that they had abiured was done the Pope and his competitors in the Papacie being absent and while they proceeded in contumacie against him euen when they publisht the decrees of the Superioritie of the Councell aboue the Pope Or what Councell finallie was euer more free then the Councell of Florence whereat there assisted the Emperor of the East and the Patriarke of the Greeke Church and a great number of Greeke Bishopps who all had libertie to determine and giue their voyces and euen those that gaue them against the commoÌ„ opinion of the Councell persisted in their obstinancie as Marke of Ephesus returned safely into their countrey And neuerthelesse in those three Councells there were decided almost all those things which are at this daie questioned in Christian Religion For if to make a Councell free it must be holden in the state of a Prince which fauours neither partie of the contestors what Councell can be exempt from calumny For doe not the Arrians put it amongst the reproaches of the Councell of Nicea and of the first of Const that they were holden vnder Constantine and Theodosius who were abettors of their owne partie and whose authoritie preuailed there And did not the Eutychians reproach the Councell of Chalcedon for the authoritie of the Emperor Marcian that had there fauored say they their aduersaries From whence euen to this day they call those that hold the opinion of the Councell of Chalcedon Melchites that is to saie Rogalists or Imperialists but if his maiestie intend by a free Councell a Councell where the Pope neither assists personalie nor representatiuely how can it be that in a time wherein there is no Schisme in the Papacie a Councell shall perfectly represent the vniuersall Church if the visible head of the Church be neither there personallie representatiuely or confirmatiuely And what will become of those antient Maximes That it is not lawfull to rule the Churches or call the Councells without the Bishop of Rome And againe that the ecclesiasticall lawe anulls all decrees made